Basically, yes. Fevers are functional in that the higher body temperature begins to denature the proteins in infectious agents, or otherwise makes it inhospitable for them to reproduce, which allows the immune system to finish mopping up. We should let fevers do their thing unless the person is suffering a lot of discomfort (with the understanding that being sick in itself is going to be uncomfortable, and the fever will make them achy and weak. Which is a good signal to rest and let the immune system work.)
If the fever starts getting really out of control (like 105F/40C or higher) it runs the risk of cooking our own proteins as well, causing brain damage, or causing cells that we should probably hold onto to go into apoptosis. That's when we should step in and be like "dude, back the hell off" and try to lower body temperature or encourage the fever to break before it busts something it wasn't supposed to.
Tagracat t1_iuhwyk8 wrote
Reply to comment by FiveDaysOfPoop in What is the actual mechanism by which the body generates a fever? by Pheophyting
Basically, yes. Fevers are functional in that the higher body temperature begins to denature the proteins in infectious agents, or otherwise makes it inhospitable for them to reproduce, which allows the immune system to finish mopping up. We should let fevers do their thing unless the person is suffering a lot of discomfort (with the understanding that being sick in itself is going to be uncomfortable, and the fever will make them achy and weak. Which is a good signal to rest and let the immune system work.)
If the fever starts getting really out of control (like 105F/40C or higher) it runs the risk of cooking our own proteins as well, causing brain damage, or causing cells that we should probably hold onto to go into apoptosis. That's when we should step in and be like "dude, back the hell off" and try to lower body temperature or encourage the fever to break before it busts something it wasn't supposed to.